#fantasybooktok

After countless grand adventures, Merlin has decided to leave his post as Royal Librarian for the simple dream of owning a bookshop. But he never expected Prince Arthur to give up everything and come with him. Together, they will embark on a journey to the village of Mistwood, with Arthur taking on the role of Defender of Albion, protecting remote settlements while pursuing their shared vision of literary tranquility.

Their travels prove far from ordinary as they encounter a band of outlaws who are more than they seem, forge an unlikely alliance with a powerful sorceress, and slowly learn that their friendship may be deeper than they realized. At last reaching Mistwood, Merlin settles into the peaceful rhythm of bookselling, ready to have a quiet, cozy life.

But when the Lady of the Lake arrives with an urgent prophecy involving the destruction of Camelot by a horde of undead, Merlin and Arthur must put their cozy life aside for another grand adventure.

A masterful reimagining of Arthurian mythology, this enchanting tale weaves together cozy fantasy elements with epic adventure, exploring themes of reinvention, loyalty, and the enduring bonds that call us back to fight for what we hold dear - even when we thought we had hung up our swords for good.

🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. She has trained her whole life to slay wyrms and defend her people against The Nameless One. But none have appeared in years and people are having doubts. In the north, Queen Sabran of Inys has married the King of Hroth and solidified two unstable realms. Their daughter, Glorian, has the duty of stepping out behind their shadows to eventually rule two vast empires. In the East, Dumai loves her quiet life in the Seiikinese mountain temple. Soon someone will upend her peace and the long slumber of the dragons many thought would never end. Why are volcanic eruptions causing panic and chaos across the lands? And how will these women connect, collide, and come together to protect humankind from a monstrous threat?

I can’t praise this book enough!!! It was a total five star read (and a THICK book!)! Game of Thrones is one of my favorite series to watch and read, and this book blew it out of the water!! ADOFN has everything I didn’t know GOT was missing: diversity (!!), queer characters/storylines, and women written well.

ADOFN has kindgoms/queendoms, dragons/wyrms, warriors, political schemes, tasteful smut and all the great parts of any fantasy but it centers around female characters. It shows their complex nature, the good and bad, their relationships, their strengths and struggles. I recommend this book to anyone who is a true fantasy fan. It is the prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, but you can read either book first.

Read if you love:

🐉 Dragons/wyrms

⚔️Fantasy

🌈LGBTQ rep

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Tropes/themes: Fantasy/World-building, magic, gay romance, tattoo artists, magic tattoos, h/c, HEA, demisexuality, instant bond, secret identities, celebrities, spice (or not), self-acceptance journey, trauma recovery. Summary:

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I really think I should just change my blog name to "I am only slightly late posting this." I think it would fit the vibe better.

ANYWAYS! I had a really good reading month in January despite being on vacation for the first week of the month. I read a total of 4 books and some were better than others

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

This was my first read of the year and I am glad it was. I loved this book and I really don't have much to complain about. I loved how character focused this book was and yet it still managed to keep me interested (unlike other books I read this month). I am not sure if there was any overarching plot but this was still a fun read especially for those who love historical fiction!

4/5 Stars

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

The third installment in the An Ember in the Ashes series. This was my favorite so far. Most of the book felt like it dragged on and it was very focused on character development which usually doesn't bother me but this whole series is very action packed and the slower pace of this installment tripped me up. However, the last 2/3rds of this book had me reeling and screaming into my pillow. And the ending knocked me right off my feet. It is easily one of the best endings I have ever read.

4.5/5 Stars

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This is a re-read. This year I am focusing less on reading new books and more on finishing series. I have only read the first 3 books in this series so I felt justified to read it again. I watched the show with my mom and we both loved it and now that the second season is coming out I want to read the entire series PLUS the six of crows duology by the time it comes out in March (This is definitely a long shot I know). I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I had read it when I hadn't really developed my reading tastes and loved everything I read. This book is older and I just was expecting it to be an eh book. I loved it, is it the greatest work of literature? No, but I love it.

4/5 Stars

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Well, not every book I read this month could be a hit. I don't think I had high expectations going into this but this book severely disappointed me. This is marketed as enemies to lovers but they were kissing by page 120. I thought oh maybe there is some backstabbing and there was but they still maintained feelings? Not only that but this book is too damn long. This book was 505 pages long and didn't get good until the last 100 ish pages. I feel like this book tried to be character driven and it was but to the point to where there was no plot. I was simply reading about people doing stuff.

2/5 Stars

As I mentioned before, this year I am focusing on finishing series and clearing out my TBR so I will be reviewing a lot more sequels and other installations in series. I may also be re-reading some books so that I can finish books that I read in previous years.

Once again, I am sorry for posting late. I will see you guys in my February Mid-month update (no TBR this month, sorry!)

Much love,